相关试卷

I had always prided myself on my sharp tongue and brilliant response whether in class debates or casual arguments. Thus, when I was selected to represent the school in the national debate series, I was naturally extremely confident of myself.

All the members in my team were good speakers. We had an experienced teacher who trained us well. But I was undoubtedly the most outstanding speaker. In each of the rounds that I debated in, all the judges selected me as the best one. This meant that my confidence was the highest by the time we found ourselves with one week to train before the finals. I had every reason to believe that I would be voted the best speaker for the debate series.

I began to be self-important about the whole business and started behaving that way with my team-mates. I would laugh at Eton's poor debating style. I would complain of Vivian's slow response. I saw myself as the natural debater who would be disappointed by their bad performance.

As the finals drew near, I became more and more dissatisfied with my team. I began missing practices. My teacher was worried. My teammates were panicked. However, they had no choice but to rely on me to win the finals. Even if they would love to remove me from the team they could not because there was no replacement good enough.

The day of the finals finally came. I was very excited that I was able to finally show off my debating skills. Everyone was expecting my performance.They knew that I was praised to be the one most likely to win the best speaker for the debate series.

注意：

1．续写词数应为150左右；

2．请按如下格式在相应位置作答。

Paragraph1:

But the reality was not something that I had ever imagined.

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Paragraph 2:

Suddenly,a comforting hand from behind held mine.

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1.你的见闻；2.你的感想。

注意：1.词数80左右；2.可适当增加细节，使内容充实，行文连贯。

August 24, 2025

Sunday

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The 15th edition of Vivid Sydney, Australia's largest annual celebration of light music, ideas, and food, (light) up the Harbour City under the theme Dream.

From May 23 to June 14, 2025, the festival featured more than 200 events across five (creative) designed zones throughout central Sydney. Among them, Chinese artist Yannesi Siu, the first Chinese artist invited individually (participate) in Vivid Sydney's official program attracted attention with two works that combine ancient mythology with cutting-edge technology.

Yannesi's work, Fly to the Moon, drew (inspire) from the legend of Chang'e, the Chinese moon goddess. In her interpretation, which used light and motion, the moon symbolized was not only poetic imagination but also the pursuit of dreams.

Her second work, Telephone, explored how memory, technology, and time interacted. Inside unique and old-fashioned telephone booth (电话亭), visitors could speak into the receiver, and transform messages into animated light symbols by AI. This dialogue between past and future was enhanced by China's homegrown HDR Vivid ultra-HD visual technology.

" (root) in the Chinese traditional culture, the piece uses technique to carry meaning," Siu said. "I hope audiences can reflect how technology connects us — not just functionally, but emotionally — across time and space."

This year, Vivid Sydney covered five unique zones — Circular Quay and The rocks, Barangaroo, Martin Place and the CBD, Darling Harbour, and The Goods Line and Inner City, visitors enjoyed immersing (they) in fantastic experiences over 23 nights.

Laughter is a powerful tool. Here's how to use humor to resolve disagreements and strengthen your relationships.

Make sure you're both in on the joke. Humor can help you overcome conflict only when both parties are in on the joke. If he or she isn't likely to appreciate the joke, don't say or do it, even if it's "all in good fun". When the joking is one-sided rather than mutual, it can damage the relationship.

Humor helps you face challenges in life. But there are times when humor is not healthy. For example, sometimes it is used as a cover for avoiding painful emotions. You can be funny about the truth, but hiding the truth isn't funny. When you do that, you create confusion and mistrust in your relationships.

Develop a smart sense of humor. Some find it easier than others to use humor, especially in tense situations. If your efforts aren't going over well, start by using self-deprecating (自嘲的) humor. We all love people who don't take themselves too seriously. After all, nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes. So, if you're having a bad hair day, make a joke about it.

Tap into (发掘) your playful side. It's understandable to fear rejection when attempting humor. However, it's important to point out that you don't need to be a comedian to use humor to manage conflict. The point isn't to impress the other person, but simply to lighten the mood. It can lower the other person's defenses and put you both in a more positive state of mind.

A. Some jokes are easy to understand.

B. Avoid humor when facing challenges.

C. Don't use humor to cover up other emotions.

D. So it's important to be sensitive to the other person.

E. Therefore, don't be afraid to simply act silly like a kid.

F. It brings people closer, managing conflict, and reducing tension.

G. Even if the joke falls flat, the only person you risk offending is yourself.

The earliest built satnav system is the Global Positioning Satellite System, which belongs to the US. Then there is Russia's Global Navigation Satellite system, the European Union's Galileo and China's own satellite navigation system, Beidou.

On October 18, 2017, an ARJ21-700 plane, which was the first domestically (国内地) produced jet equipped with the Beidou navigation system, successfully completed a test flight. The results showed the performance of the system developed by China matches that of similar systems produced abroad, according to the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China.

Since its introduction in 2000, the Beidou navigation system has been increasing numbers of applications linked to everyday life, from shared bikes to farming.

When it comes to shared bikes, smart locks that support Beidou chips offer more accurate positioning than others, making it easier to find a bike.

Farmers can use Beidou-enabled tractors to plow (犁) the soil and use unmanned aircraft with Beidou to sow seeds, which can improve efficiency and make better use of resources. Beidou's farming applications have spread from Heilongjiang Province to Beijing, Liaoning, Shanxi, Hubei and other regions across China.

With its many uses, the Beidou navigation system is even playing a big role in the Belt and Road Initiative. "To date, the Beidou system has covered most parts of the Asia-Pacific region, as well as countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road," said Yang Changfeng, chief designer of the Beidou system.

Today, there are more than 20 Beidou satellites above our heads, and China plans to launch even more this year to expand the Beidou network to better serve the Belt and Road Initiative.

"As Beidou expands its overseas reach, it will be increasingly popular in the logistics (物流) industry," said Miao Qianjun, Secretary General of the navigation services association. "Ships, for example, can use it to position themselves while sailing across oceans to European countries, no longer limited to Southeast Asian regions in the near future."

The application form full of pictures of male explorers arrived. The words "Are you man enough for the ultimate (终极的) challenge?" made me angry and even more determined to get on the team.

Over 500 individuals applied for a place in the team, and the selection process included physical and psychological tests designed to pick the best group. In one test, there was a huge rope ladder we had to climb, and I froze at the top because I have a fear of heights. I thought my hopes were fading as most other applicants sailed past, leaving me behind. But two others helped me over, and later I found out that the organizers were not looking for amazing individuals, but great team players, and this moment had shown them who would take care of others in the team.

I had revealed (显示) my weakness, and in a place like the Arctic, you have to be yourself, as there is nowhere to hide. There personalities of asking for help and showing weakness are necessary for women to master.

I realized that by being myself, I could succeed. I was selected for the team. I realized that I could achieve more than I ever imagined—more importantly, by sharing my story with others, I could inspire them to take a step into the new world and reveal more of their abilities.

Often, when he came to visit, my grandfather would bring me a present. These were never the sorts of things that other people brought, such as dolls, books or toys. My dolls and toys have been gone for more than half a century, but many of my grandfather's gifts are still with me.

Once he brought me a little plastic cup. I looked inside, expecting to see something special. But there was only some loose soil in it, which made me disappointed. He smiled at me affectionately. Turning around, he picked up a little teapot from my dolls' tea set and took me to the kitchen where he filled the little cup with water. Back in the living room, he put it on the windowsill(窗台) and handed me the teapot. "If you promise to put some water in the cup every day, something may happen." he told me.

At that time, I was only five years old. This whole thing made no sense to me at all. I looked at him doubtfully and asked, "Do I have to water it every day? What will happen?" He nodded to me with encouragement, "Yes, every day, dear."

And so I promised. At first, curious to see what would happen, I did not mind doing this. But as the days went by and nothing changed, it got harder and harder to remember to put water in the cup. After a week, I asked my grandfather if it was time to stop yet. Shaking his head no, he said, "Every day." The second week was even harder, and I became regretful of my promise to put water in the cup. When my grandfather came again, I tried to give it back to him, but he refused to take it, saying simply the same words, "Every day." By the third week, I began to forget to put water in the cup during the day. Often, I would remember only after I had been put to bed and would have to get out of bed and water it in the dark. But I did not miss a single day.

注意：

1. 续写词数应为150左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

One morning, something amazing happened.

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This was perhaps my first lesson in the power of perseverance.

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1. 分享你的经历、做法和感悟；

2. 提出倡议。

注意：

1. 写作词数应为80个左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Break Bad Habits, Embrace New Life

Good morning, everyone!

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Thank you!

And inspiration did strike. I2 The Artist's Way, a 12-week course to unlock3. Julia Cameron, its creator, believes we all4 an inner creativity; we just block ourselves from that urge. The path she lays out is simple yet requires5.

There are weekly readings. For months, I'd discuss with members about our reading and6 our progress, frustrations, and aha moments. One key7 was writing "morning pages" — no stopping and no editing for at least three full pages. It felt writing nonsense at first. But as I8, it helped me realize I'd use excuses to9 a dance class or job opportunity. I found I tend to avoid any10.

Another practice was "artist dates" — solo activities to inspire fun. Cameron emphasized that11 our limiting beliefs was only half the battle; we must also12 seek joy. So, I invited13 pleasures: baking cookies, collecting fallen flowers, etc. I even rented a car to a coastal town. At sunset, I'd roll down my car window, sing loudly and14 the pink sky. Joy entered my serious life.

A year later, I quitted my job and15 one in a creative field. It took three more years to dance on stage. As for publishing short stories, perhaps next summer.

This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Expensive watches come with extra functions — but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole? So why pay that much of five years' school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?

If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead the Swiss reinvented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds' worth of advertising, as a message about the man wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world.

Watches are now classified as "investments" (投资). A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly £ 350,000, while 1960s Rolexes have gone from £ 15,000 to £ 30,000 plus in a year. But a watch is not an investment. It's a toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up — they've been rising for 15 years. But when of fashion. Prices may keep going up — they've been rising for 15 years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of that £ 350,000 beauty will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Times.

As the plane disappeared behind the trees, Gelinne, a former Navy commander and current cybersecurity expert, realized it was going to land in the stream. He flashed on a moment from more than 20 years earlier: Sept. 11, 2001. Gelinne was at work in the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., when terrorists crashed a jumbo jet into the building. He fled the chaos but has always wondered if he could have stayed inside and helped.

"To the right was the crisis, and to the left was escape. I don't even know if I could've gone right, but I went left," he recalled. "I always second-guessed myself about that decision."

On this day, Gelinne didn't hesitate. He ran down to the waterfront. The plane was now sinking. The pilot was standing on the wing. Gelinne knew from his Navy training that even a few minutes in the icy water could kill the pilot.

Gelinne tested the ice with his foot and decided not to take any chances walking on it. So he and his son, John Jr., pulled two kayaks (皮划艇) out from under their back deck.

The two men set off, pushing their boats across the ice. It was exhausting work. When Gelinne reached the plane, the pilot was standing on a tail wing, submerged up to his chest, surrounded by open water. Gelinne pushed his kayak off the ice and into the water, paddling toward the pilot and thinking, What if he panics? What if I flip?

With his son nearby, Gelinne focused on keeping the pilot calm, joking, "Just hang on to the boat as if you were hugging your wife." The pilot grabbed the kayak's bow. Now the two men were floating together, but Gelinne knew he had to get the pilot out of the water and up onto the shelf of unbroken ice behind him before the man lost too much body heat. But each time Gelinne tried to land atop the ice shelf, the kayak broke through.

By now a boat from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources appeared, breaking through ice as it arrived. It picked up the pilot and swiftly transported him to safety. Later the boat returned to help Gelinne, now exhausted, to shore.

The rescuers had arrived just in time, Gelinne recalled. "I'm 60 years old," he says. "There was no way I could get him to shore." Still, he was satisfied he'd gone the right way that day.

My great-grandmother Eileen, who is 92 years old, is fierce, loyal and strong and a bit of a legend in her own lifetime. We're not allowed to call her Gran, because she says it makes her feel old.

That summer, I lost my job and felt hopeless and down all time. One day, I paid a visit to her. She picked up a box on the coffee table. "There you go," she said. "You do know what you're doing with these things, don't you?" It was a new phone. Her current mobile was pretty ancient. I was amazed it was still going.

"Yes," I said.

"Good. That's why I ask you. You young people know more about such things than us oldies. You can take it home with you and get it all set up," she went on. "Then, when you bring it back, you can show me how to use my new phone, such as getting on the Internet, sending e-mails and so on." She smiled so sweetly that I felt a surge of love for her.

I grabbed the box and stood up. Setting up the phone was easy. It was teaching her how to use it that proved challenging.

The following day I headed back to my great-grandmother's with the phone. "Here's your phone. It's all ready to use." For the following hours, I was busy setting up her passcode (密码) and fingerprint recognition, which she said was like something out of James Bond.

She chose a picture for her screen and it was all going so well until I tried to show her how to swipe (滑动屏幕). "What do you mean, swipe?" she asked. She was 92, I reminded myself. This had been tiring for her.

She pressed at the screen and got annoyed when nothing happened. When I finally got her to swipe, she didn't put the right amount of pressure and the menu slipped away. After what seemed like hours, she threw the phone across the room and it landed on the sofa. "Take it away!" she cried. "I want my old phone back!"

I was about to leave to give her time to cool down when I realized I didn't want to go home while she was angry and upset.

注意

1. 续写词数应为150左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

"Come on, Eileen. One more try." I said.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

With the excitement , Eileen kept on practicing her new phone and experimenting with every possible new app over the next few weeks.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1.表示歉意；

2.说明损坏原因；

3.提出补救办法。

注意：1.词数80左右；

2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Dear Peter,

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Yours,

Li Hua

A shocking Chinese film Dead to Rights (move) countless viewers since its release (放映). It got an 8.7 out of 10 high score on Chinese review platform Douban. With a (power) narrative, the film recreates a chapter of heartbreaking national memory and stirs deep historical (reflect).

Set during the fall of Nanjing in 1937, the story follows group of ordinary people sheltering in a photo studio. (force) to develop photos for the Japanese military to survive at the beginning, they (accidental) discover negatives (底片) revealing war atrocities (暴行). They risk their lives to preserve the evidence and expose the war crimes.

Unlike other war-themed works,Dead to Rights avoids war epics (叙事) that focus grand battle scenes. Instead, it uses photography as a medium to convey the horror of war with indirect yet deeply affecting visuals.

Japanese soldiers twisted (扭曲) Confucian virtues like "Ren" while (commit) unspeakable crimes. In the final montage, old wartime ruins filmed by the invaders fade into the busy and noisy streets of modern Nanjing. The people in those photos, died for the truth, never saw peace, but the future they protected is our present. As the filmmakers put it: "Walking out of the theater seeing the prosperous China today are our film's Easter egg."

When I returned home and reached for my pocket, panic hit me — they were gone. I rushed back to the path,4 every bush and corner anxiously. After an hour of fruitless5, I felt totally defeated. I dragged myself back, feeling6 and helpless.

At home again, I pulled the backup key from its hiding place, let myself in the house, and fell on the couch in7. Though I had an extra house key, the mail key was a big deal. What's worse, my spare car key was unstable, and the key fob would be expensive to replace.

That evening, it turned colder, and I was sitting on the sofa8 in bad thoughts when my car suddenly lit up and beeped loudly. I jumped up and ran downstairs to turn it off, but ten minutes later, the noise started again. After this9 several times, I grew worried — my neighbors would surely get annoyed and might come10 about the disturbance. Just as I was pacing with anxiety, the doorbell rang.

I opened the door to see a stranger holding my key chain. "Are these yours?" he asked with a smile. I nodded11, too surprised to speak. He explained he'd found the keys that morning but had no clue whose they were. So he had to press the car key's alarm button now and then, and followed the sound12 he located my car.

I thanked him repeatedly, and he just said, "Glad I could help." His kindness not only returned my keys but also13 me there are good people around. Looking at the keys in my hand, a sense of14 spread through me. That day taught me that even a small act of care can make a big15.

The study involved people playing a simple game where they had to choose between different symbols that offered certain chances of receiving a reward. The rewards were either money, the opportunity to learn a random piece of information (like a fun fact), or nothing. Meanwhile, the participants' brain activity was monitored using FMRI scans.

The results were striking. The researchers found that the brain's dopamine-rich reward centers, particularly the vmPFC (前额叶皮层), became active when participants were expecting both monetary rewards and informational rewards. This suggests that our brains process the opportunity to gain new information as a valuable reward itself. The desire for information followed a classic "law of demand" — the more expensive (in terms of effort or cost) it was to get information, the less people sought it, just like any other product.

"This finding helps explain the ‘checking' behavior we see with smartphones," said the study's lead author. "Each time we slide down to refresh our news feed or check updates, we are essentially seeking a small piece of new information. Our brain perceives this information as having potential value, releasing dopamine (多巴胺) that makes the action feel rewarding, even if the information itself is unimportant."

The researchers believe this insight is crucial for understanding modern behaviors. It indicates that the appeal of digital platforms is not merely about social connection but taps into a fundamental biological mechanism. However, they also warn that this cycle, if left unchecked, could contribute to problematic internet use, as the brain gets caught in a continuous circle of seeking minor informational rewards.

Research published in the journal-Science-Advances reported that Moxie produced breathable oxygen in seven hour-long tests conducted in various weather and atmospheric conditions since landing last year. The research found that during each test and even in extreme temperatures or after a Martian dust storm, Moxie continued to produce high-purity oxygen.

The device uses pumps that suck in carbon dioxide. The gas is heated to 800℃ and separates the carbon and oxygen. Carbon monoxide is emitted as waste while the pure oxygen is left behind. "This is the first demonstration of actually using resources on the surface of Mars and transforming them chemically into something that would be useful for a human mission," Jeffrey Hoffman said. Hoffman, a retired astronaut and a professor at MIT aeronautics department, also noted that the results were "groundbreaking and historic."

NASA and the MIT team are planning to build a bigger version of Moxie. They hope advanced models will produce enough oxygen to support a crewed mission to Mars and generate the gas needed to send a rocket back to Earth. "To support a human mission to Mars we have to bring a lot of stuff from Earth." Hoffman said. "But dumb old oxygen? If you can make it there, go for it. You're way ahead of the game."

The thin atmosphere on Mars is 96 percent carbon dioxide and much more mutable than on Earth. Hoffman said, "One objective now is to show we can run Moxie in all seasons."

The aquarium staff named the baby dolphin Winter and she gradually learned how to swim again. Unfortunately, because of the way she was moving in the water without her tail, she was in danger of developing a problem with her spine (脊椎). Kevin Carroll and Dan Strzempka, who ran a company making artificial limbs, heard about the problem and had a brilliant idea. Kevin and Dan told the staff at the aquarium that they would make an artificial (人造的) tail for Winter!

There were a lot of challenges that Kevin and Dan had to deal with along the way, like trying to fit an artificial tail on a playful young dolphin that doesn't want to stay still! It took over fifty prototypes (模型) and a year and a half before Winter finally got her new 30-inch tail. After seeing her swim with it for the first time, Kevin said that the months of hard work had been truly worth it.

Making the tail was only half the story, though. For Winter to be able to swim properly, the artificial tail needed to be held in place without damaging her skin. Specialists came up with a soft material that firmly holds the skin and doesn't hurt. Designed especially for Winter, this material was so successful that "WintersGel" is now being used to make artificial limbs more comfortable for people with false arms and legs all around the world.

In 2011 the tale (故事) was made into a film, "Dolphin Tale", starring Winter herself. It's about a dolphin that would have died, but survived because a few people cared.

For beach vacations that get you out of town and invite you and your family to dive into culture, consider a trip to Panama City. Here, you will enjoy beaches and city exploring. Book your stay at the Westin Playa Bonita, where you can book a room starting at $222 a night. There are various programs, including beach Olympics, star observation and Spanish lessons.

Jupiter, Florida

This place offers you quality time you can spend with your loved ones. Book your stay at Jupiter Beach Resort, with rates for a family of four starting at $207 a night. Here, you can shoot baskets at the basketball courts, take a dip in the pool or teach your children beach yoga.

San Diego, California

The West Coast is a great spot for cheap beach vacations, so tell your family to pack their bags for a visit to San Diego. A cheap $10 Uber ride from the airport will have you pull up at the Kona Kai Resort. Here, a family of four can stay in a Luxe Guest Room starting at $159 per night. Your kids can practice cannonballs at the pool after a visit to the world-famous San Diego Zoo.

Kihei, Hawaii

For west coasters who are growing bored with their backyard, fly to the islands of Hawaii. Stay at the Aston at the Maui Banyan, with a charge of $179 a night for a family of four. Here, you'll see some of the best sunsets of your life while your kids play in the Pacific. And if you set about cooking a fancy meal, you'll enjoy suites that come with a full kitchen.